The Japanese Film Festival kicks off in Australia this November for 2022. Get to know what’s playing, where to see ’em, and when they’ll arrive in your neck of the woods.
The Japanese Film Festival is back once again in Australia. Celebrating its 25th birthday, the 2022 fest is bringing another round of quality Japanese films to Palace Cinemas across five regions: Canberra (5 – 20 Nov), Melbourne (30 Nov – 4 Dec), Perth (21 – 27 Nov), Sydney (7 – 14 Dec), and Brisbane (11 – 27 Nov).
This year’s line-up contains a variety of genres including a family drama, an assassin comedy, a culinary documentary, an anime about gliding, and free screenings of classic features. See below for the full programme.
And So the Baton is Passed
Lies and secrets ignite in this Japanese drama about a girl with a complicated upbringing.
Anime Supremacy!
For seven years, soft-spoken yet strong-willed Hitomi Saito has climbed the ranks of Japan’s gigantic anime industry, and is set to direct a series for the first time.
Baby Assassins
Chisato and Mahilo are two high school girls who are about to graduate. They also happen to both be highly skilled assassins.
Blue
Nobuto Urita is a boxer, who loves his sport more than anything but no matter how hard he tries, he keeps losing his matches. His sparring partner, however, seems likely to win a championship…
Blue Thermal
After a romantic disaster, a university freshman is looking for a fresh start and seeks to leave behind her enthusiasm for volleyball to find a new pursuit: gliding.
Dreaming of the Meridian Arc
During the process of making a drama series about historical figure Tadataka Ino, the first person to make a map of Japan in 1821, a surprising fact is discovered: Ino was not the person who made the first Japanese map.
In the Wake
Baffling serial killings unfold in which the victims are tied up and left to starve. Tone was just released from prison after finishing his sentence for another crime, and he surfaces as a suspect but detective Tomashiro can’t nail down conclusive proof.
Intolerance
A simple robbery attempt turns fatal, grim, and complex for everyone involved in this Japanese thriller. Soon, the father of a deceased middle school student bypasses accusations to pursue the people involved in her death.
Lesson in Murder
Masaya is a university student, but he attends a school that’s not his ideal school. His days are generally gloomy. One day, he receives a letter from a serial killer…
The Pursuit of Perfection
Focusing on four of the leading chefs in Japan today, this documentary explores the truth behind Japan’s unique and sophisticated food culture.
Floating Clouds (free classic screening)
A dark comedic look at a tempestuous post-war love affair between needy and obsessive secretary Yukiko (Hideko Takamine) and her married boss, the stoic Tomioka.
Sound of the Mountain (free classic screening)
An ingratiating bride develops warm ties to her father-in-law while her cold husband blithely slights her for another woman.
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (free classic screening)
Keiko, whom everyone calls Mama, narrates her story: she’s a hostess on the Ginza, 30, a widow. She describes life’s vicious cycle: acting cheerful around drunks, dressing and living well to convey confidence, needing money for these expenses and for her demanding mother and brother, and knowing she’s growing older.
Yearning (free classic screening)
After a bombing raid destroys the family store and her husband, Reiko rebuilds and runs the shop out of love stopped short by destruction.
For more details about the Japanese Film Festival, visit japanesefilmfestival.net.
